Bonds Across Dimensions
by Uena
Summary: Kazue is the daughter of a doctor, and a scientist. She loves her friends, collecting cards, tinkering with machines, and taking care of plants. One thing she isn't, however, is sure about herself. So when her psychic abilities sends her to Maiami City injured, alone, and with a crashed D-Wheel, adventure just comes knocking along. Ah, well, at least she still has her cards.


**Disclaimer** : This is fanfiction. Although Yu-Gi-Oh canon does not belong to me (Yana/Uena), this idea, the plot of this fanfic, and my characters are my intellectual property. Feel free to use them as long as you credit me.

 **Warnings** : This is a Newcomer-Friendly fic. Reader may read this without knowing about either series. I'll try to explain all relevant plot points and cards as they appear in my story. This story is as spoiler-free as a fanfic could be.

This is mostly OC-Centric, focusing on a 5D's Character being sent to the Arc-V universe.

This is my first fanfic in this fandom, so this is a learning experience.

The title is tentative and may change.

This fic is born from my ideas about Arc-V's universe.

The first chapter is about the Original Character, who she is, her life, and how she ends up in the Arc-V universe/timeline/whatever you want to call it.

Comments, and Suggestions are welcome.

* * *

Chapter 1 - Kazue

* * *

Kazue stared at the children entering the three-story building in front of her, giggling and shouting as their friends joined them. The blue-eyed girl clutched her mother's hand tighter, pulling it closer to her.

"What's wrong?" Her mother asked, kneeling down to face her. The woman tucked Kazue's hair behind her ear, giving her child a smile to reassure her that everything is fine.

"… I'm scared." Kazue mumbled, her feet shuffling and kicking the dirt. A hand touched her cheek, tilting her head up so that she could talk to her mother face to face.

"Princess, it's alright to be scared. I was pretty nervous on my first day of school." The woman said.

"You were?" She asked with wide eyes. Her mother laughed, smiling at her.

"Yes, I was." The woman nodded, her face shifted seriously. "I transferred in the middle of the year after I was home-schooled. So not only did I not know anyone in class, I was the odd one out. The Transfer Student. The weird, lonely girl."

Kazue looked down. She couldn't imagine her to be any of those things. To Kazue, the woman is strong, confident, and is one of the friendliest people she ever knew. A shy, little girl? Never.

"But I found friends who stuck by me, got to know me. I know the same thing will happen to you." She kissed the top of the girl's head. "Don't be afraid to reach out to other people. You're a good girl, and anyone would be blessed to have you as a friend."

Kazue's lips twitched upwards, relaxing a little. The woman sighed in relief, seeing that the child's nervousness died down, even if it's just slightly. It would do a lot to help her in her first day of school.

"You know what?" She said, picking something out of her pocket. A Duel Monsters card. "She'll protect you, just like she protected me when I needed her the most. Take care of her, okay?"

The girl took the card, tracing her fingers on the picture of a dragon in mid-flight, its red scales puffing out like a flower's petals.

"Black-Rose Dragon…" She recited the name. She marvelled at it for a while before beaming at the woman. "I will!"

The woman watched as Kazue ran towards the school, looking back one last time and waving at her before entering through the double doors of the entrance. She stood up, a melancholic smile on her face as she remembered her own days in school.

A melodic chime from her pocket broke her from her thoughts, pulling out a vibrating phone and answering it.

"Yes, this is Doctor Izayoi." The woman entered the car, shutting the door behind her. She turned her key, started the engine and drove away. "I'll be there soon. I just dropped my daughter at school… Yes… Yes… Thank you for the reminder. Good day."

* * *

Kazue sat quietly on her assigned seat, picking at her boxed lunch with her chopsticks. She entered the class bursting with excitement, ready to make friends and learn something new. But as soon as she saw the chatting children, her will wilt and died like a flower in the dessert.

So instead of approaching the other children to chat, she stood to the side and waited for the teacher to enter and begin the class.

Like any first day of class, the students took turns and introduced themselves. When it came time for Kazue's turn, she stuttered her name so much, that she doubted that even the one next to her heard what she said. It took some coaxing from the teacher, but she finally built what little courage she had left and got her introductions out.

Kazue buried her face in her hands as she remembered that moment. She was so nervous that she botched her name.

"M-m-my name is I-I-Izayoi K-Kazue… Um…" She was going to continue with her age, hobby, where she lives, and what she expects of this class, when one of the boy in front of her interrupted.

"Kazue? What a weird name." He said loud enough to be heard by the whole class. The teacher reprimanded the boy immediately, so nobody laughed at his words. But the damage has been done, her self-esteem shattered under the pressure and she sat back down.

After that, she kept her head down, afraid that the class would point all of their attention to her. In fact, just being called by the teacher was enough to make her flinch. So she kept her head down and made herself as small as possible while sitting straight on her chair like her mother taught her, in hopes of not being noticed.

Right now, it's lunch time. The teacher dismissed the class, who was now free to mingle with their newly friends. Kazue had none, so she simply remained in her seat, even when all the other students are busy playing in the playground outside.

The girl seated beside her during class left immediately after the announcement, so she didn't even have a chance to talk to her, not that she could even strike up a conversation with her. She was resigned to eating by herself when one of the classmates approached her.

"Hi! Kazue, right?" A girl with strawberry-blonde and silver hair said, plopping down on the seat to the right of Kazue's desk. "Want to be friends?"

The bemused girl nodded her head, trying to gather her wits to answer. A girl wants to be her friend? Of course she'll accept! "Y-Yes!"

Kazue slapped her hand on her mouth, embarrassed that she just blurted out an acceptance to someone she just met. She doesn't even know her name! (She was too busy sulking about her introduction that she didn't pay attention to her other classmates' names)

Her new friend(?) giggled, scooting closer towards her.

"You're funny! I like you." The blonde girl said. "I'm Nozomi. Aoimaru Nozomi."

"I-it's nice to m-meet you, Nozomi-san…" Kazue mumbled, nibbling on her sandwich. She glanced at her classmate from the corner of her eyes, only to spot the girl staring at her. "Y-yes?"

"Why aren't you playing with the others?" The blonde asked. Kazue blinked, folding in on herself to think of an answer.

"U-Um… I-I'm scared." She admitted, taking another bite of her sandwich. "I-I don't know how to make friends."

Nozomi's eyes widened, before she laughed. "Hahaha! Kazue, you won't learn how to make friends if you don't try."

"But… I-I'm scared…" Kazue said, looking away. "What if they don't like me?"

"They'll like you, I'm sure! After all, I do." Nozomi reassured, standing up. "Besides, if they don't like you, then they wouldn't be good friends anyway."

Kazue gaped at her friend, who stared back with a wide grin on her face. Nozomi grabbed her hand, dragging her out of the classroom to force the shy girl on their other classmates.

That day, Kazue met an irreplaceable friend.

* * *

Years passed and Kazue entered Elementary School with Nozomi. Over the time they've been together, their friendship blossomed. The two became even more inseparable when they ended up in the same class in the same school. Teachers would often find Kazue trailing behind Nozomi, while the extroversive of the pair dragged the dark-haired girl to play with the other kids.

While Nozomi had a lot of friends, it was clear to the others that Kazue is her best friend. She would try to include Kazue in everything she does. When there would be an odd number of players in a team, Nozomi would willingly exclude herself from the game to let Kazue play.

It was hard to imagine one of them without the other.

"Hey, hey~ Kazue-chan, what did you write?" Nozomi peeked at Kazue's paper, trying to see her answer. Kazue, for her part, slid the paper closer so that her friend didn't have to crane her neck so far.

"I'm not sure yet…" Kazue said, dropping her pencil on the desk.

"Don't worry about that, Kazue-chan." Their teacher said from behind them, a hand on Kazue's head. "You can write down anything you want."

"What about you, No-chan?" Kazue asked, turning to her friend. The blonde grinned, all but pushing her paper on Kazue's face.

"I'll be an Actor, like Tou-san!" Nozomi said. Today, the class is writing a paper about what they want to be in the future. While Nozomi's paper is filled up, Kazue's paper is blank.

"Heh, that's a good dream to have." Their teacher hummed. "You can share it in front of the class later, if you want?"

"Okay!" Nozomi agreed, never one to shy away from challenges. The teacher turned back to Kazue.

"What are your parent's jobs, Kazue? Don't you want to be like them?" Their teacher asked.

Kazue hummed, thinking about her parents. Her mother is a doctor who makes people healthy. She was brought to work a few times, so she knows what exactly her mother does. She admires her, but she didn't think she could do what her mother does; especially with the needles, or the wounds. She can't even look at her knee when she scraped it when she trips, so how could she make other people's wounds better when she can't even look at her own? So being a doctor is out.

Her father is a bit more of a mystery. From what her mother told her, he was a scientist. She didn't really know what a scientist does. Her mother said that it's someone who invents stuff or discovers things. She sometimes works with her father on machines, but she doesn't think it's something she wants to do for work when she grows up.

"I don't know." Kazue admitted.

"Well, what do you like to do, Kazue?" Her teacher asked, trying to help her.

"Umm…" She thought about it. She likes to collect Duel Monster cards, she likes to build things, and she likes to take care of flowers. Collecting Duel Monster cards doesn't sound like a real job, but maybe being a Professional Duelist, like her uncles? She already thought that building things is just a hobby, and gardening… "T-Taking care of flowers…?"

"That's good too." The teacher gave her an encouraging smile, while Nozomi tilted her head to the side. "Don't worry, nobody's forcing you to decide right away. But it's always good to plan ahead."

"But a flower girl?" Nozomi frowned, her arms crossed. "Kazue-chan's pretty, and I know her flowers would be pretty as well, but…"

Kazue nodded, having heard the same words before "Tou-san… Tou-san s-said that we should decide o-our future for ourselves…"

"Your father is a wise man." Their teacher said. "Think about what you want to be and write it on your paper. You have all the time in our class to think about it."

Kazue nodded again, the teacher standing up to go assist the other students. But after class was done, and the activity is over, Kazue's paper is still blank.

* * *

Kazue breathed deeply as the nebulizer sprayed medical mist to her mouth and nose, her eyes darting around her room as she tried to find something to keep herself occupied. The loud noise from the machine made watching the television redundant, and while she had her Duel Monster cards with her, she couldn't do anything with them without someone to play with.

This is what she hates the most about having asthma, the frequent treatment and the monotony it brings. It gets worse when the season changes and her asthma act up with the sudden changes in temperature. She's lucky that she doesn't experience severe asthma attacks at school.

Today is no different. The sweltering summer heat gave way to the crisp, cold autumn winds, aggravating her condition that she has to take treatment twice a day.

Right now, Kazue is at the hospital her mother works at, in one of the rooms that can fit many patients at once. She's alone right now, since Nozomi had something to do with her family, instead of accompanying her friend like she usually would.

So today, she's even more bored than usual.

She took another deep breath of the mist, when something changed. Muffled by the noise from the machine, she heard the door to the room open, and a boy around her age peeked in.

The two kids looked at each other, one cautious, and the other curious. The boy glanced around the room and the hall to see if anyone is around before slipping into the room.

Kazue sat up straighter on her bed, leaning against the bed rest. The boy approached her, appearing as if he had every right to be in that room.

"Are you sick?" He asked. Kazue shook her head, jostling her mask before she adjusted it back.

"I-I'm not sick." Kazue said, her voice muffled by her mask.

"Then what's that?" The boy asked, pointing at the machine beside her.

"It's for m-my medicine." She said.

"Then you're sick." The boy said.

"I'm not sick!" Kazue raised her voice, looking indignant.

"But you're in a hospital." The boy pointed out. "That means you're sick."

"You're in the hospital too." Kazue reasoned. "Does that mean you're sick?"

"I'm not sick." He looked away, arms crossed.

"Then why are you here?" Kazue asked, tilting her head.

"… I'm visiting the doctor." He finally admitted.

"If you're visiting the doctor… then doesn't that make you sick?" Kazue asked, confused.

"I'm not sick." He insisted. "The doctor just has to check my arm."

His arm? Kazue looked at the boy's arm, folded in front of his chest. At first glance, she couldn't see anything wrong with it. Then again, she's not a doctor like her mother, so she can't actually tell if there is nothing wrong with it.

"Princess, is your-… Oh, Akira-kun. What are you doing here?" Her mother entered the room, seeing the boy standing beside Kazue's bed. "Sakamoto-sensei and your mother is looking for you. Here, I'll bring you to them after I check on my daughter, okay?"

"Do you know him?" Kazue asked when her mother neared her. The woman checked the tube to make sure that all of the medicine is properly vaporized before turning the Nebulizer off, sitting beside the bed and tapping her daughter's back to massage her lungs.

"He's Sakamoto-sensei's patient." Her mother explained, putting away the machine. The woman smiled at the boy, addressing him. "Thank you for keeping my daughter company."

"I-It's nothing." He said, embarrassed. "I'm Takahashi Akira. It's nice to meet you."

"I-Izayoi K-Kazue… It's nice to meet you too…" Kazue replied.

"Okay then!" Her mother clapped, clasping the boy by the shoulder. "Let's get you back to your parents. Kazue, Princess, I'll be back soon."

"Bye, Kazue-chan." The boy said.

"Bye Akira-san." Kazue waved back.

* * *

"Who're you?" Nozomi asked, levelling a glare at Akira.

As it turns out, Akira goes to the same school Kazue and Nozomi do, though he's in different class than the two girls. Still, this means that Akira saw Kazue during lunch time the day after their hospital visit, so the boy approached the girl to greet her.

Of course, he first has to get past Nozomi.

"Takahashi Akira." He said, looking past Nozomi's shoulder to look at Kazue where she was sitting down under the shade of a tree, eating her lunch. "Kazue's friend."

"Hah? Kazue-chan's friend?" Nozomi asked, eyes roving over the boy. But before she could question him more, he pushed past her. "O-Oi!"

"Hi." Akira said, waving at Kazue.

Kazue looked up at him, giving a small smile. "H-Hi."

"Oi, Kazue. You didn't tell me you knew this guy." Nozomi pouted, poking her friend on the shoulder.

"We met at the hospital yesterday." Kazue reasoned.

"Mou~" Nozomi whined, dropping down beside Kazue. "I leave you for one afternoon and you go ahead and make friends without me."

"A-Are you mad?" Kazue asked, wondering why her friend is acting oddly.

"I'm not mad!" Nozomi said, waving her hands in front of herself. "More like surprised. But I'm glad you have more friends."

"I'm Aoimaru Nozomi. Any friend of Kazue, is my friend." The blonde turned towards Akira, bowing at the waist. Her eyes glinted. "Now… Who are you?"

"Akira." He said, a bit of a frown on his face.

Kazue looked between her friends, observing each other. She breathed a sigh of relief when Nozomi smiled, before putting Akira in a headlock. Her lunch became a lot less peaceful since that day. But at least she gained another friend.

A nine-year old Kazue spread her deck of cards on her desk, bringing out another case filled with all of her other cards out. She picked cards from her deck and her case, comparing them, before sighing and slumping into the desk.

"I don't get what you're fussing about." Nozomi plucked the cards from Kazue's fingers. One is a Spell Card, 'Mystical Space Typhoon', and the other is a Trap Card, 'Dust Tornado' "These two cards are the same. You shouldn't make a big deal out of it."

"The two are very different." Kazue propped up her head with her hand. "Dust Tornado only destroys one of my opponent's Spell/Trap Cards, and the Mystical Space Typhoon can destroy any one Spell/Trap Card, including mine."

"Heeh~?" Nozomi whinned, "Why would you want to destroy your own Card?"

"Some cards only activate their effect when they are destroyed, or when they're going to be destroyed." Kazue explained, showing one of her Spell Cards. It showed a man kicking with a large explosion. "Big Bang Shot raises a monster's attack by 400 points, and allows it to deal Piercing Damage. But when this Equip card leaves the field, I have to banish the Monster it is equipped to. So when I equip this to my opponent's monster, and use Mystical Space Typhoon on it…"

"You can get rid of your opponent's monster!" Nozomi cheered. "You must be pretty good at duelling, Kazue."

"N-No, not really." Kazue's cheeks tinged pink, looking away from her friend before arranging her cards.

"Would you teach me how to duel?" Nozomi asked. Kazue thought about it, before nodding. After all, how could she deny her friend? "Really? Thanks! Now Keita won't be the only one that can duel in class."

"Keita?" Kazue remembered a kid from Akira's class, a boy that got a deck for his birthday. "Why do you want to duel him?"

"He makes me mad." Nozomi said, leaning forward. "He makes the other kids play, and when they lose, we have to give him our card… It's an-… An-"

"Ante Rule?" Kazue asked. If she remembers correctly, the Ante Rule is a ruling where the two duelist bet cards. The winner of the duel then gets to keep both cards. It's fairly common, from what Kazue knows, especially in one part of the city. But it's sort of like gambling, which is forbidden in their school. "Why don't you tell the teacher?"

"Well, you see…" Nozomi looked away, scratching her cheek. Kazue waited for her to continue, but she remained silent.

"… Okay, I understand." Kazue stood up, gathering her cards and placing them back to storage. She separated one stack of cards and placing them in a separate container before grabbing her deck and sliding it inside her Duel Disk. "I'll duel him for you."

"Wait, what?" It took a moment for Nozomi to register what her friend just said, and when she finally did, Kazue is already halfway out of the door to talk to Keita. "Kazue, what are you talking about? If you lose, you'll lose your card! Just teach me how to duel, and I'll face him myself."

"… I-I'm not doing this just for you, No-chan." Kazue said, adjusting her Duel Disk so that it snugly fits on her arm. "Okasan… Okasan said that you learn a lot about people in duels. I want to learn more about him."

She spared a smile towards her friend before looking at the boy talking with his friends.

"I'll teach you duelling after this, okay?"

Nozomi sighed, unused to the assertive Kazue. She scratched her cheek, following after her friend. The two neared Keita's group and is joined by Akira who saw them approaching.

"What are you two doing here?" Akira asked, breathing heavily and sweating from his game of tag.

"Well, you see…" Nozomi tried to explain, but Kazue cut off any chance to do so.

"Keita?" She called, stepping forward, pointing a finger at him. "I challenge you to a Duel."

"Isn't that Kazue? The girl from the other class?" One of Keita's friends whispered, loud enough for Kazue and her friends to hear.

"Yep. My cousin said she's a crybaby, always following Nozomi." The other boy said.

"Eh, a Duel?" He blinked, before grinning. "Yeah, sure! Ante Rule?"

"Kazue's challenging Keita?" Akira asked. "This won't end well."

"Fine." She took out a card from her Extra-Deck showing the white card given to her when she first entered school. "This is a card my mom gave me, Black Rose Dragon. I'll give her to you if you win."

"Level 7 with 2400 attack?" Keita yelled in astonishment, a sweat dripping down the back of his neck. Then he seemed to gain his wits and smiled. "Heh, it's not so tough. Sure, I'll take you on."

"Wait, Kazue! That's your favourite card! What if you lose?" Nozomi pushed forward, trying to reason with her friend. "And what's gotten into you all of a sudden? Can't you bet any other card besides that?"

"Hey no take backs!" One of Keita's friends said. "She already bet it, no turning back."

'Is this wise?' An ethereal voice whispered in Kazue's ear.

"It's fine, No-chan. Black Rose Dragon will protect me." Kazue reassured her friend, patting on her shoulder. She slipped the card back into the Extra Deck and turned back to Keita, laying down her own rules. "Keita, if I win, you return every card you took. We'll start at 8000 Life Points, since this will be a big duel."

"Hey, accept." The other of Keita's friends said. "I've never seen a card like that before. I bet it's super rare!"

"Yeah, you're the best Duelist here anyway." Keita stepped forward, raising his left hand parallel to the ground in preparation for a duel. Kazue mimicked his movements.

"Let's…" The two chanted, drawing their deck and placing it back into the Duel Disk and letting its Automatic Shuffling shuffle their deck.

" **Duel!** "

 **Kazue's LP – 8000 vs Keita's LP – 8000**

Kazue drew her five cards, before gesturing towards her opponent with her hand. "You go first."

"Fine, I draw!" Keita drew a card, placing it in his hand and bringing his cards up to 6. He picked up one card, slapping it down on his Duel Disk before announcing his move. "I summon Thunder King Rai-oh in Attack Position!"

A blue machine with tesla coils for arms and legs appeared in the field with the help of the Duel Disk's hologram projector. Yellow rings revolved around its torso, shooting lightning between its needles and the tesla coils.

Thunder King Rai-Oh LV 4 [ATK 1900]

"I set two cards and end my turn." He placed two cards on slots in his Duel Disk, two large cards solidifying in front of him facing the ground.

"Why aren't you attacking?" One of Keita's friends asked.

"He can't." Kazue said, turning all attention towards her. She fidgeted under their gazes, becoming self-conscious. "I-I mean, y-you can't attack on the first turn of the duel."

"Have you seen Kazue duel before?" Akira asked Nozomi, honestly curious.

"No. I mean, I know I she duels." How couldn't she not know? She often sees Kazue rearranging her cards and her deck when she has nothing to do, so it's only natural that she knows how to duel. "But I've never seen how she plays."

"My turn, draw." Kazue said, drawing her own card. She looked at her hand, frowning a bit. On her hand are 4 Traps, and 2 Monster Cards. She has a Warrior-type and a Plant-type monster on hand, but none of her Monsters had enough Attack Power to beat his opponent's. She looked at her opponent's monster and decided her move. "I place on monster on Facedown-Defence Position and set three cards. I end my turn."

'I have to get rid of Thunder King Rai-oh.' She thought, remembering its effect. It could tribute itself to negate the Special Summon of a monster, which is central to some of her strategies.

"It's my turn. Draw!" Keita drew his card, smiling when he recognized his card. "Here's my Ace card! Go, King Tiger Wanghu!"

A sabretooth tiger with lobster-plated armour roared into the field, growling at Kazue. It looked like a warrior, with leather armour covering areas that the metal plating didn't. She could see that underneath all that armour, the monster had white-with-black-stripes fur.

King Tiger Wanghu LV 4 [ATK 1700]

'Another monster that negates the Summoning of a monster.' Kazue thought morosely. 'I can't let it stay in the field.'

Kazue waved a hand, one of her cards moving so that its front faced her opponent. "Trap, activate! Bottomless Trap Hole!"

The card depicted a green monster falling into a red hole, ghastly faces grinning at its misery.

"When my opponent summons a monster or monsters with 1500 or more attack, I can use this card to destroy those monsters and banish them!" Kazue explained.

"Hey, what's banish?" Akira asked, not familiar with the term.

"Banishing means 'removing from play'." Nozomi tried. "When Kazue explained to me what the card does, she said that instead of sending the monster to the graveyard, where all the used cards go, they are removed from play. That way, the monster can't be brought back using cards like Monster Reincarnation or Call of the Haunted."

"Then that means… Keita won't be able to use his Ace!" Akira pumped his fist.

"Heh…" Keita laughed, a smirk on his face. "… Can I join in? Trap Activate, Dark Bribe!"

Keita's trap revealed itself, a merchant showing a bolt of cloth to someone.

"This lets my opponent draw one card." Kazue drew a card, frowning. "And negates the activation of their Spell/Trap card!"

Electricity sparked on Kazue's card, before shattering. The wind billowed against Kazue, and she had to cover her face from the blast.

"Now my monster is safe! Time to defeat you!" He swiped his hand forward palms out towards Kazue. "Battle! Thunder King Rai-Oh, attack her Face-Down monster!"

The blue monster shot lightning towards Kazue's Face-Down card, and before it could connect she countered with another Trap.

"You would think I'd let you?" She protested. "Trap Activate! Negate Attack. This negates a monster's attack and immediately ends the Battle Phase."

The lightning bolt splashed over a purple barrier that appeared in front of Kazue's monster, producing a shockwave that pushed back her opponent's monsters.

"Ah, fine… I set one card and end my turn." Keita said, another card appearing behind her monsters and handing over the turn to Kazue.

Kazue breathed in and out, glad that she got out of that predicament. She needs that monster if she wants to win the battle.

"My Turn, Draw…" She looked at her hand, now at 1 Trap and 3 Monsters. She briefly entertained the thought of summoning Twilight Rose Knight, a monster with 1000 attack and can special summon a Plant-type monster, but decided not to. "I summon Gigantic Cephalotus in Attack Position."

A monster crossed between a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Venus Fly Trap stomped its way into the field, roaring a challenge towards its opponents. It towered over its rivals, being a head taller than Thunder King Rai-Oh and King Tiger Wanghu only reaching up to its chest.

Gigantic Cephalotus LV 4 [ATK 1850]

"Battle! Gigantic Cephalotus attacks your King Tiger Wanghu!"

The plant/dinosaur monster's legs carried it forward, its neck snapping forward to take a bite out of Keita's monster. At the last moment, a force field covered up King Tiger Wanghu, protecting it from attack.

"I activated Waboku." Keita revealed another of his Traps, this one depicting a chorus of women wearing blue hoods. "This protects my monster from destruction, and negates any Battle Damage I receive this turn."

With nothing else to do, Kazue set her last Trap and ended her turn.

"Keita. You care about your cards. Otherwise, I would have destroyed your monster several times now." Kazue observed, her voice steady as her eyes glazed over in thought. "But if that's the case, why do you take other people's cards they care about?"

Keita gritted his teeth. "Why do you care, you wouldn't understand anyway!"

He drew his card, taking it and slapping it down over Thunder King Rai-Oh.

"I release Thunder King Rai-Oh to Advance Summon Naturia Bamboo Shoot."

The blue Thunder Monster shattered into golden dust, reforming into a pair of monster that looks like a bamboo that just emerged from the ground. It hopped forward, smiling at the monsters on the field.

Naturia Bamboo Shoot LV 5 [ATK 2000]

"Alright, an Advance Summon!" One of Keita's entourage cheered, pointing at Kazue. "You're in for it now! In Keita's last duel, he used this card so that his opponent can't use any Spell or Trap cards!"

"N-Not really…" Kazue interrupted, her stutter returning. It does that when she's nervous, or talking to people she's not familiar with. She's been working on it with Nozomi, but so far it only works with their classmates. "Naturia Bamboo Shoot's effect only activates when you Tribute Summon it with another Naturia Monster…"

"Wait, really?" The boy said, earning nods from both Duelists. "How do you know anyway? Maybe you've been spying on Keita's duels? That's unfair!"

"She did not!" Nozomi defended, stepping forward and raising a fist. "Kazue owns a lot of cards, and she said that her mother uses a Plant-type deck. Bamboo Shoot is a Plant-type, so Kazue would know how it works!"

"It's still unfair!" He shot back.

"How is it unfair?" Akira said.

"I don't know, it just is!" He said, as if it explained everything.

"I activate my Continuous Magic, Burden of the Mighty!" One of Keita's Face-Down cards flipped open. "This card reduces my opponent's monster's attack by 100 times the monster's level!"

Gigantic Cephalotus looked at the monsters on the opposite side of the field. It flinched as if hit by something, and folded in on itself.

Gigantic Cephalotus LV 4 [ATK 1850 – ( 4*100)] = [ATK 1450]

"Now your monster's attack is lower than mine. Attack!" Naturia Bamboo Shoot bounced on its tiny legs, heading towards Kazue's monster. As soon as it was close enough, it jumped straight up, slamming its pointy head underneath Cephalotus's jaw. It shattered like glass, splashing against Kazue.

"A-Ah!" Kazue closed her eyes, Life Points decreasing from the overflow of Attack Power.

 **Kazue's LP – 3450**

She glanced at her Trap Card, which could have saved her monster this turn. But right now, she's making a gamble. She needs the right card for the job, but still was saddened by the loss of one of her monsters.

"Now, Attack that Face-Down!"

Keita continued his attack, his Wanghu pouncing on Kazue's card almost immediately. It flipped open and the monster appeared in the field, a green sack with a zipper in the front. Wanghu bit on the sack, but it did nothing. Giving up, Keita's monster returned to his side.

"Hey what happened? Why isn't… Hey, wait a minute!" Keita began, wondering why Kazue's monster wasn't destroyed, then he recognized the monster in Kazue's field. "That's Naturia Beans!"

The sack opened on one side, and peeked out are three beans. One of them left its hiding spot, flexing its arms at them with a smug look.

Naturia Beans LV 2 [DEF 1200]

"Once per turn, Naturia Beans can't be destroyed in battle." Kazue said for the benefit of those watching the duel. "Y-You have to defeat them twice in one turn to destroy them."

"…" Keita grunted in frustration, ending his turn. He smiled. "Heh, interesting. You let me think that your Face-Down monster is weak, using Negate Attack to protect it. But it won't matter, because in the next turn, I'll take it down."

"I-It's fine." Kazue said, surprising Keita. "Beans has done their job. They bought me time."

Kazue breathed deeply, closing her eyes and laying her fingers on top of her deck.

'Please…' She whispered mentally. 'Please, help me…"

She drew her card. She looked at it.

She smiled.

"I summon Copy Plant!"

Copy Plant is a monster wrapped by very thick vines and covered its whole body except its eyes. It wiggled its tiny branches as if to say 'Hello!' before settling.

Copy Plant LV 1 [ATK 0]

"Hah, that card's useless!" One of Keita's friends jeered. Keita nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, its Attack Power is zero!" Keita said. "Even if you have plans for it, too bad! King Tiger Wanghu's Effect Destroys all monsters Summoned and Special Summoned into the field with Attack Power less than or equal to 1400!"

"And this time, I activate my Trap! Divine Punishment! I discard one card in my hand…" The second to the last cards set on Kazue's field showed itself. She sent Twilight Rose Knight from her hand to the Graveyard. "and this card negates the activation of a Monster's Effect, and destroys it!"

Lightning struck King Tiger Wanghu from the card, and the monster knelled as it was destroyed.

"Wanghu!" Keita stretched his arm forward, as if to try and save his favourite monster. But it was gone, and he simply glared at Kazue. "… At least you can't destroy my monster! They both have 0 Attack."

True, Naturia Beans is a monster with only 100 Attack. It's a purely defensive monster after all. And even that is useless, since Burden of the Mighty reduces that to 0 too.

"I'll show you the power of the cards my parents have given me! Copy Plant, activate your effect! Once per turn, I can target one other Plant-Type monster on the field." She said, pointing at Naturia Bamboo Shoot. "I target your monster! Then, Copy Plant's level becomes equal to the target monster."

Copy Plant morphed until it looked like a vine-like version of Naturia Bamboo Shoot.

Copy Plant LV 5 [ATK 0]

"Furthermore, Copy Plant is a Tuner Monster, which means that I can Synchro Summon using it and another Non-Tuner monster. I Tune Copy Plant with Naturia Beans!" Kazue said.

Copy Plant separated into five green circles which Naturia Beans jumped through, becoming two lights.

"Chilling flames that engulf me in cocooning warmth come into full bloom! My guardian and comrade, Black Rose Dragon!"

The lights merged into a white portal, and out of it appeared the majestic Black Rose Dragon in all its glory, scattering rose petals in its wake.

Black Rose Dragon LV 7 [ATK 2400]

"W-Woah…" Nozomi gasped, awestruck at the sight before her. Akira inched closer towards Nozomi, asking a question.

"Is that Synchro Summoning?"

"I think so." She said. "This is my first time seeing one personally though."

"Black Rose Dragon's Effect Activates!" Kazue said, looking determined. "When I Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon, I can destroy every card in the field. Black Rose Gale!"

With a beat of its large wings, Black Rose Dragon created a twister that destroyed Burden of the Mighty, Keita's set card (which turned out to be Lost Lambs, which summons tokens on his side of the field to stall attacks), and Naturia Bamboo Shoot. The gale then moved on to Kazue's side of the field.

"Every card?" Keita sked, something clicking in his mind. "Wait, doesn't that mean you destroy your side of the field and not just mine?"

"That means Black Rose Dragon will be destroyed too!" Nozomi realized.

"I know, that's why I'm activating my Trap Card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" Kazue revealed her last card. "I select one face-up monster on my side of the field and banish it until the End of my turn."

A strange device appeared under Black Rose Dragon, its purple light engulfing it. When it died down, Black Rose Dragon is nowhere to be seen. The gale hit the device, blowing it away.

"Ah, I see what Kazue's doing!" Nozomi said, tapping the bottom of her fist on her palm. "With Black Rose Dragon missing from the field, it is not destroyed!"

"But wait," Akira said, turning the idea over his head. "But if Black Rose Dragon isn't in the field, its Effect shouldn't activate, right?"

"No, no… See, it's like this." Nozomi explained. "When an effect activates, the card doesn't need to be in the field to finish its effect. Unless it is specifically said that an effect is Negated, the effect will still happen even if the card is destroyed, or in this case, removed from the field."

"Exactly! I end my turn!" Kazue said. Black Rose Dragon reappeared behind Kazue in a flurry of rose petals, screeching in triumph.

"I-It's my turn…" Keita said, drawing. "I set one monster and activate the Field Magic, Chorus of Sanctuary!"

The playground changed, the field looking like it took place above the clouds. Behind Keita is a golden gate, and Kazue could hear soft voices singing in the background.

"I end my turn!"

Kazue knows that Keita is strengthening his defence, to survive another round and find out a way to counter attack. It might succeed, if the monster he set has a Defence of 1900 or more, since Chorus of Sanctuary increases the Defence of all Defence Position monsters by 500.

"My turn. Draw!" She drew her card, and her eyes widened. "This is Otousan's card…"

It is a Monster card, and looked like a cross between an old-fashioned train operator, a mechanic, and an engine. It is coloured orange, with an engine on its back. It is level 3, with a measly 1300 ATK points.

"I summon Junk Synchron!" She announced, and the monster appeared on the field, flipping and floating beside Black Rose Dragon. He turned and gave Kazue a thumbs up and face the opponent. "Junk Synchron's Effect activates! With him, I can special summon a level 2 or lower monster to my field with its effect negated. Come back, Naturia Beans."

Beans rose from the ground, enclosed in its green sack.

"Next, Junk Synchron is a Tuner Monser! So I'll Tune Junk Synchron together with Naturia Beans to Synchro Summon, my monster!"

Junk Synchron jumpstarted his engine, revving up before he transformed into three green rings that aligned itself. Beans followed Junk Synchron by jumping between the rings, turning into two points of light.

"Mind that heals the Body, show the light of repentance! Synchro Summon! Magical Android!"

The formation imploded, and out came a tall woman wearing an ornate blue, silver and gold robe, wielding a magatama-shaped shield in one hand and a sword-like staff on the other.

Magical Android LV 5 [ATK 2400]

"Black Rose Dragon's effect activates!" A card pushed itself out of Kazue's graveyard, and she picked it up and slid it inside her blazer pocket. "By banishing a Plant-type monster from my graveyard, once per turn I can change one of my opponent's Defence-Position Monsters to Face-up Attack position."

The thorny vines trailing under Black Rose Dragon's wings came to life, spearing into the card. It flipped over, and Naturia Beans is exposed to the world. The vines pushed its way through the sack, pulling out each of the three beans as they struggled in its grip.

"Then this makes my opponent's monster's attack 0!"

"What?!" Keita stepped back.

Naturia Beans LV2 [ATK 100] - [ATK 0]

"Magical Android, attack Naturia Beans!" Kazue's monster swung its staff, and a scythe of energy sliced at its helpless opponent. It wasn't destroyed because of its effect, but since it was in Attack Position, Keita's LP dropped.

 **Keita's LP – 1600**

"Black Rose Dragon, finish this Duel. Black Rose Flare!"

Black Rose Dragon unleashed its attack on Naturia Beans, destroying it and reducing Keita's entire LP.

 **Keita's LP – 0**

With the duel over, the field returned to normal. Black Rose Dragon remained there a moment longer before dispersing.

Kazue walked towards Keita, who was sprawled on the ground after his defeat. He laid there, trying to grasp what just happened.

"You're a good duelist, and you love your cards." Kazue said to Keita, kneeling down beside him. "But you tried to take away other people's cards, so this happened. They are supposed to be given with trust, not forcefully taken."

She smiled.

"So, can you please give everyone's cards back?" Kazue asked.

"… Ah." Keita agreed. After all, it was an Ante Duel. "I'll give them back."

"Kazue, that was amazing!" Nozomi jumped on Kazue's back, wrapping her arms around her neck. Surprised, she wasn't able to brace herself and joined Keita on the ground. "Ouch!"

"N-No-Chan!" Kazue yelped, realizing what just happened.

"Hahaha!" Akira simply stood on the side, laughing at them.

"Keita, you're bleeding!" One of Keita's friends pointed at Keita's arm, which has a long and shallow gash running from halfway up his arm to his elbow.

"Ah, s-s-sorry!" Kazue said, helping Keita up. "T-T-That's my fault. S-Sometimes, I can make my monsters r-real…"

She looked away, afraid of what they would say. She already mentioned it to Nozomi a few times, but she doesn't know if her friend thinks she's joking or something.

"Wow." Keita said. "I wish I had that power. That way, I could ride Wanghu all the way to school!"

"Really? You're not scared of me?" Kazue's voice died down to a whisper.

"Kazue-chan~ I'll never be afraid of you!" Nozomi draped an arm over Kazue's shoulders. She pointed a thumb over to Akira, who was following behind them"Besides, I'm more afraid of his ugly face."

"Hey, I heard that!" was Akira's weak protest. The kids laughed at Akira's expense all the way to the Nurse's office.

* * *

"-and then you press down on the pedal here." The man said, supporting Kazue as he held her by the hands gripping on the handlebars. With a click from the machine, the bike lurched forward, earning a tiny squeal from the girl. She leaned back from the inertia, bumping into the front of the man's chest. She felt it rumble behind her as he laughed, his tattooed face crinkling in happiness.

"Crow, what are you doing?" Another man asked, his arms crossed and looking none too pleased about what he is seeing.

The orange-haired man looked up from his task, letting go of the handlebars of his D-Wheel, a specially crafted motorcycle built for duelling, propping it up by his legs.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Crow asked, a brow raised.

"It looks like you're teaching Kazue how to ride a D-Wheel." The other man said.

"Yeah, so?" Crow couldn't see what's wrong.

The man gave him the driest look he could muster.

"Crow…" He said slowly, before raising his voice. "Kazue is eleven years old. Eleven! You do not teach these things until they are older!"

"Geez, Tetsu. You didn't have to shout." Crow said, rubbing his ear. "I can hear you just fine!"

"Oh, really? Because it seems like you're having a hard time seeing what's wrong with this picture" The man, Tetsu, said.

"Don't worry about it." Crow reassured. "I'm here for her."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. In fact, it has the exact opposite reaction." Tetsu frowned, turning around to walk back into the mansion. "… I'm telling Aki."

Crow flinched.

"Crow-ojisan." Kazue began, looking up at the grimacing man. "Are you in trouble?"

"Of course not!" Crow laughed nervously, returning to his teachings. "Now, let's finish your lesson before your Kaa-san arrives and murders me."

* * *

Kazue slid the cover over the panel of the D-Wheel she was working on, wiping it clean with a rag as soon as she was done. Standing up, she pulled on the throttle, checking the output on the laptop connected to it.

"Princess, are you here?" A man in a lab coat asked as he made his way down the steps of the garage. Kazue spared him a small smile before continuing her work. "I heard from Akira. Are you and Nozomi fighting?"

"It's nothing Otousan. Just a little argument." Kazue waved it off, but her father heard her mumble something like 'nosy taddletail'. He ignored it in favour of what his daughter said next. "Nothing to worry about."

"This isn't just an argument with Nozomi, Princess. I should know; I've watched the two of you grow since you were toddlers." Her father said, taking a seat on the tool bench. "Not speaking to each other for a week is a record for you two. I was willing to let you solve this between yourselves, but you're worrying even your other friends."

Kazue remained silent as she spun the screwdriver in her hand, letting her father talk to her about her problem. She pushed off her D-Wheel, pausing to grab the two cards on the hybrid Duel Disk installed into the machine, and sat beside her father.

"Kazue… Friendships aren't perfect." Her father began. "Friends are there when you need them the most, help you when you're down, and support you when you want to give up."

She nodded along, staring at the cards in her hand.

"But friends fight too. They disagree with things, and sometimes it gets so horrible that it feels like you'll never be friends again." Her father laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, staring at his blue eyes so much like her own. "But if your friendship survives this, your bonds will grow stronger, and you'll be better friends than before your argument."

He smiled.

"A little friendly argument is healthy for a relationship. It means you're honest with each other, and aren't afraid to show it to your friend." He said.

"I guess…" Kazue said, unsure. Seeing this, her father decided on something.

He picked up a card from his Extra Deck, giving it to Kazue.

"This is Stardust Dragon, he symbolizes the bond I share with my friends. I didn't think you were ready for him yet. Your mom chewed me out for that, since you proved that you can handle Black Rose Dragon." He placed it in her hand, joining the two cards she was staring at earlier. "He'll watch over you when I can't."

"But… Otousan, isn't this your favourite card?" She asked, holding Stardust Dragon as if his card would rip at the slightest of touches.

"Don't worry, Princess." He rubbed the top of her head. He winked. "I still have Junk Warrior with me."

"Thanks Otousan." She hugged her father, clutching him close as she tried to hide the tears that appeared at his words.

The moment was ruined by a call from her father's phone.

"Sorry, I'll take this." He slipped from the embrace, walking away to answer the call. "Fudo Yusei."

Kazue dried her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt, slipping her new card in her Extra Deck. She looked at the cards in her hand, given to her by Nozomi for her thirteenth birthday. It was only a few weeks after that their argument started and cut off ties with one another.

Artifact Aegis and Artifact Labrys. Two cards that are a part of a set that was just recently released. Kazue received one of the firsts made, and she remembered Nozomi saying something about proposing it to her mother that was a card designer working for the company.

The feeling of dread filled her as she thought about her friend. She braided her hair into a French plait and wore her flat hat. She picked up her helmet, wearing it over the hat and disconnected the wires from her D-Wheel.

"Kazue, where do you think you're going?" Her father asked. Kazue stopped in her tracks, unsure about what to say. Her hand shook, clutching at the handlebars of her machine.

"I don't know." She said, licking her dry lips. "But I suddenly have a bad feeling, and I need to see Nozomi now."

Her father grabbed her arm, steadying her shaking. "Don't be hasty, you look like you'll kneel over any second."

"Otousan." She bit out. "I need to see Nozomi."

The two stared at each other, challenging the other to oppose them. They stayed like that, neither backing off, for some time before…

"Fine…" Her father relented, closing his eyes and releasing a heavy sigh. "Just… Just stay safe."

"I will." She hugged him one last time before getting on her D-Wheel, manoeuvring her way through the garage to the shutters. It opened with a noisy clutter, and soon Kazue is on the road.

With the press of a button, the screen displaying her D-Wheel's status shrunk and moved to the side, bringing up a map of the city. She flicked through the menu, trying to find the quickest path to her friend's house.

Her usual path is undergoing road maintenance that stretches from one block to another, effectively blocking off the route and forcing her to take a longer, winding path.

Although her D-Wheel is registered under her name, she doesn't have the proper licence to drive it through the main roads and have to settle for the side paths and Duel Lanes to get to Nozomi's house. This did little to ease her nerves, and she had to weave through unfamiliar roads. This caused her to turn around many times, the directional system only useful when passing through Duel Lanes and unreliable at best in side streets.

She leaned the bike to the side, transferring her centre of gravity and allowing her to turn tighter in the curve. She came out of the side street, entering a Duel Lane that led up a ramp to the highway, passing over low-rise buildings and allowing her a straight path to her objective.

"Kazue." Akira's face appeared in her screen, connecting his call to her. "Your dad told me you're looking for Nozomi."

"I am." She said, the mic on her helmet catching her voice. It's another reason why you need to wear a helmet when using a D-Wheel, the helmet connected to the D-Wheel's software. The mic has a powerful filter, eliminating nearly all white noise and allows for communications during Riding Duels and, as in this case, calls. "What is it?"

"She's been listless lately, ever since your argument." Akira said.

"Listless?" Kazue wondered.

"Yes, listless. You know, she'd been apathetic and always spacing out during lessons." Akira said.

"Are you sure? I didn't notice." She said, thinking back to the days in school.

"How could you? The two of you have been ignoring each other." Akira said. "Also, you buried yourself in the lessons and your work. Heck, you hardly notice me sitting beside you during lunch."

"Ah, well, sorry…" Kazue let up on the throttle of her D-Wheel. "I should have paid more attention."

"Yeah, you should have." Akira had no problem laying it on her.

"Anyway, Akira, is there a point to this call? I have to find No-chan." Kazue glanced up at the road.

"Nozomi is in her mother's office. I talked to her and she said that she's designing cards again." Akira told her.

"But Nozomi dislikes card designing. That's odd." She said, thinking about her dream. "She's more of a theatre girl."

"Both of you have been odd around me." Akira wined. "And I blame you two. What were you fighting over anyway?"

"That's… not something I'm comfortable talking about." Kazue's cheeks tinged, remembering the fight. "Anyway, Akira. Thanks for telling me. I'm heading there now. I'll call you when I get there."

"Okay, I'll wait for your call Ka-" Akira said, but her call was interrupted when the screen popped out a warning.

"What the-" Kazue cut herself off when she saw a car on a direct collision course towards her. The windshield is clear of tint, so she could see the driver. He was smirking, and she can see a yellow mark on his face. Behind the car in hot pursuit is a pair of Sector Security D-Wheels. She tried to move away, but the car corrected its course and drove faster. "He's planning on ramming me!"

The logical part of her mind said that if the driver is trying to escape capture, it was a logical -if harsh- to crash her and create a distraction.

She drew a card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter, and slipped it into her Duel Disk, using her Psychic Abilities to save herself. The car's bumper slammed into her front wheel, and she careened up and over the railing, falling off the overpass. She screamed in fright, before her powers kicked in and she vanished into a tunnel of kaleidoscopic colours.

* * *

Kazue woke up to an aching pain in her whole body, from her wrists, to her shoulders, and all the way down to her ankles. Crashing a D-Wheel is rare, with many built-in features installed to ensure the safety of the rider. It's one of the safeguards that lets Duelists have Riding Duels without the worry of being thrown off their ride. It'll take a lot to make one crash.

But when one does, it is quite spectacular. So Kazue wasn't really surprised that her ribs are protesting in pain from the simple motion of sitting up. She's also pretty sure that her arm will need a cast for at least one month from how tender she felt her bones are underneath her fingertips. She's grateful that her helmet protected her head during the fall, and was cushioned from the impact by her arm.

She chanced a glance towards her D-Wheel, which has seen better days. Still, it looked like it fared a lot better than her, that is to say, from how she's feeling right now. It lay on its side, abandoned. One side had its orange paint peeled right off, her hybrid Duel Disk fried with the card that saved her life still in one of its slots. The wheels are still round, looking like it fared the best from the crash. From her spot, she could see the skid marks on the asphalt leading from the crash site to the road behind her.

She tried to pick herself up, to move and get back on her D-Wheel, but her whole body felt like it was on fire from the pain, and she flopped back down into the hard ground on her face. Kazue groaned, looking around for something to help her with.

Her phone lay a little bit from her, thankfully in once piece. Getting it was difficult, and she had to crawl her way towards it. When she finally grabbed it, she dialled up her parents, only to come up to a busy dial tone.

"What the-…" She croaked, looking at her phone to see that she doesn't have a signal. "How the heck… Ugh…"

Her arm dropped to her side, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Ah… N-No… Nozomi… A-Akira…"

Maybe she should rest for a while? She's too tired, not enough energy to move. She laid her head back, looking at the city in the distance, and closed her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep, only a fleeting thought was spared towards the unfamiliar cityscape and the building that looked like an hourglass.

* * *

To be Continued...

* * *

Post Notes:

If you're wondering what is Kazue's last card on her hand during her duel, it's a dead card. Tytannial, Princess of Camellias.

As for Kazue's initial deck, it is heavily based off her parent's deck, which is a Warrior/Plant Deck, and has an unusual amount of Traps. This is because Kazue is a Defensive Player, and her strategy relies on disrupting her opponent's tactics with Traps and dealing damage using simple combos. It contains 45 cards.

Originally, I had her run a Warrior/Amazon deck, her ace being Stardust Dragon and Colossal Fighter. Unfortunately, it didn't fit with the personality I had in mind for her, so I went with this.

Keep in mind that this isn't her final deck. Throughout the story, she would go through three decks not including her Turbo deck with, yes, Speed Spells. Speed Spells, for those who aren't familiar with it, are specialized spells for a different kind of duel. Kinda like Action Cards in Action Duels. I'll explain later in the story.

Kazue came off different than I intended. I planned on her being quite hesitant, which I wanted to show with her having 60 cards in her deck. Then I realized that it is extremely impractical, modified her deck, and you have what you see before you.

Also, yes. The Summoning Chants are different. It is intentional for what those cards represent to Kazue.

Speaking of the duel, I have nothing against the Ante Rule. It's quite common in the Manga/Anime universe, but Kazue is a collector and cherishes her card. So that's one of the reasons why she stood up against Keita. Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough.


End file.
